Photo shoots, my first book release, delivering promotion packets for my book, junk journaling, particpating in escapril, and submitting scripts for a spot in a writing program. 2024, we did good! Grateful. 🙏
To be honest I don’t know what the future fully holds for this blog. Part of me never wants to officially let it go. But part of me feels like I need to reinvent it and rebrand.
Needless to say, I at least want to post today in honor of mlw’s 12 year mark. These past few years, I’ve pretty much only posted once a year. My other musings as a writer are a bit more consistent over on my writer’s instagram @michelleleighwritesvibes
For a quick update, I feel like this past year, I found a way to use art as a form of therapy. I’ve been super interested in the idea of art therapy and even considered going back to school to become an art therapist. I’m still not sure it’s the correct path for me. But it definitely interests me.
I see how art can really heal, get you through hard times, help ease anxieties, bring out your creative side, bring lightness and joy to your day and just help you to relax. A way to slow down time.
Working with kids at my current job, I see how art can be beneficial to their mental health as well as the adults around them. Art can be a universal healer.
So this year I dove into creative elements: fashion art designs and models, coloring sheets, writing poetry, photoshoots, junk journaling, puzzles, redecorating my bedroom, pumpkin painting, latching, and surrealism collaging. I even snuck in a coffee shop writing day!
Coloring sheets, latching, painting, fashion art, room redecorating, and writing in a coffee shop. And so many more things not depicted. Creativity is a special feeling.
I’ve gotten to do some really cool, creative things in 2024 . And I’m excited to continue on doing so in 2025. I hope you’ll stay tuned for however long this little blog stays floating along!
If you are interested: my first book was published! It is a short book of poetry, available on Amazon.com & Barnesandnoble.com.
So Happy New Year, friends! May your new year be filled with many blessings and a few good lessons.
I don’t post on here much anymore. However please follow my writer’s instagram for more consistent updates and sharing. Follow me @michelleleighwritesvibes
I do plan to continue to post my long form stories on here. I like that I have some place that holds my work virtually. Like my own writer’s portfolio- digitally.
I’m sure there’s some other more tech savvy way to do that. But I’m a millenial. So cut me a break. 😉 I’m the last generation before social media took over the world. Cheers to all my fellow 90’s babies in their or approaching their 30’s. We are slowly climbing up the ladder, aren’t we?
This year here at MLW, we are celebrating the 11th anniversary/birthday. Hence my coined term birthaversary. HAPPY 11TH to my blog baby!!!!
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As usual each new year brings me into a state of deep reflection and I like to look back at what I accomplished and what I would like to carry over/leave behind in the new year. Dreams I’ve dabbled in and dreams that I’m still keeping safe from the trying storms of the real world. Reevaluating priorities and time. Gathering inspiration. All of it. I love that New Year Planning Stage.
So with that said, allow me to walk us down memory lane for this past 2023 year, here with mlw.
Here are some 2023 mlw highlights.
*Green Mental Health Awareness Photoshoot
*Pink Bubblegum Barbie Photoshoot
*ESCAPRIL poems- You can read them all on my instagram in the #ESCAPRIL story icon. I have previous years in that chain as well. So if you like poetry, please do go check it out!
*PINK ERA-instagram aesthetic. (Yes I am very Barbie inspired!) I LOVED THAT MOVIE!!!!!
Barbie Movie
Barbie Cafe
Barbie Ice Cream
My Christmas Gifts
The Insta Aesthetic of 2023
*Got back in touch with my avant garde style of art.
What is avant garde art you ask…I’ll tell ya.
*Created more reels/vlogs for my instagram.
This was a Barbie Skit promo I posted on my instagram. The skit was entitled “Hey…you dropped this…” starring my childhood barbie dolls- I named them Ryan & Michaela this time around. It was a fun little video exercise. I figured well they are probably the easiest actors to work with. 😉 So I plan to shoot more this year. You can watch the full love story skit on my instagram in my Barbie Skits Instagram Stories icon at the top of my page.
My Barbie Closet (Barbie fashion reels also in my stories)
One of my goals this past year was to get out of my house to write. Sometimes when I try to write at home, I can get distracted pretty easily. So I went to the library a few times and I went to a nearby coffee shop. It was awkward at first. Because I felt like it was such a simple thing to do, but I was always weird about doing it. But I did and I felt proud of myself. I would go and sit and write for about 2 hours. And sometimes I made a little vlog reel and posted to my personal instagram. I also did a virtual writer’s workshop using meetup, and it was pretty fun! I got some good poems out of working with them. Something I definitely would like to do more of this year is- connect with other writers. Having other people to bounce ideas off of is such a blessing.
I worked on a book I’m writing, it’s a romance novel, but not finished quite yet and needs to be seriously edited. I also continued working on Black Nightingale. Chapter 6was posted this year. I plan to not only post new chapters of that story this year here on MLW, but I also plan to finish the full series.
*Continued filling up journals! I think I went through 4 in 2023!!!
*This year, I submitted a children’s book I wrote back in 2020 to a publisher and I got an offer. It was pretty awesome. But sadly too expensive for me to accept. I may also consider self publishing down the road or hopefully working with a friend who recently started a publishing company! That would be so fun! If you have any tips on self publishing and publishing companies with low rates, please leave me a comment below!
This was the day I got my publishing offer. I just had to commemorate it somehow. For me it felt like a big deal. And I was sad to have to deny but proud my work was taken seriously enough by a publisher. I wish money wasn’t such a factor for artists.
*I wrote a poetry book through this challenge I found online (the fee was low and I didn’t do any add ons) and it’s being published and will be out later this year- I think sometime this spring. I will keep you posted on the release of that on my instagram. I’m really excited to bring you my first book! STAY TUNED!
The original draft notebook.
*I posted a reel on my instagram of some of the art I created in 2023. Yes, I did work on writing projects. But I also did alot of 3D fashion art, scratch art, coloring pages and A LOT of collaging/scrapbooking. That has been a blast for me! I have always loved the visual side of art too. Not just the beautifully crafted words. But the images that pop in your mind when you hear them.
*My best friend and I finally had our first meeting about the upcoming podcast we are looking to start. She recently moved far away and we hope this can be our way of hanging out more regularly/virtually. Plus we have some of the best conversations ever, and I just feel like we would have a lot to say, especially about being long distance besties. I have always thought that women talking about basic life issues is one damn powerful thing. How often do you feel like total crap and then you have dinner with your best friend and you just get real, get deep, no boundaries or disguises. You have a good cry and a couple glasses of wine, some good food, some minor social media stalking and then you feel rejuventated and ready to take over the world. Women. Talking. Discussing. Spitting Wisdom. It’s relatable. It’s powerful. I hope you’ll stay tuned as we try to bring that dream into fruition this year. In fact in 2022, she and I did a Midnights review on our instagram stories, and we were just chatting about Taylor Swift and all her gloriousness and discussing our favorite tracks and lyrics. And after that I was just like dude….we should start a podcast! And so we plan to. We have a lot of fun ideas! And some great topics! Stay Tuned! 🙂
Meeting #1 🎙🎧
Taylor Swift Midnights Listening Party 2022
Those are MLW’s 2023 Highlights. Looking to sharing many more writing/artistic endeavors with you this new year! HAPPY 2024! Sending many hopeful blessings to you all!
Hi there! HAPPY NEW YEAR! I know it’s been a minute! But I’m back to celebrate with you! I hope you are well and staying safe in these very unpredictable, crazy times. On the bright side…
It’s MLW’s (michelle leigh writes) 9th Birthday/Anniversary!!! Which I’ve decided to name Birthaversary. It’s crazy to think that 9 years ago, I decided to finally start sharing my writing. I have always been scared to admit that I was a writer. Now, I proudly include it as part of who I am. Even though I’m not posting all the time. Writing will never really leave me. And whether I ever make it my career, or make money from it or any of that, no matter what, I know I will always be a writer. And a storyteller. And a believer of magic. 🙂 I always come back to it in some way. It is my way of sorting things out. Overcoming things. Making sense of things. And healing. Well that and some damn good Therapy! 🙂 It’s 2022 people. I’m telling you get on that therapy train. It’s worth it!
Happy 9th Birthaversary Michelle Leigh Writes!!!!
I know I haven’t posted consistently much, but I will still be keeping this blog alive in order to share my writing when I feel to- mostly for the longer pieces. I already have so many Short Story Series on here for you to browse. Otherwise, I will be sharing most of my writing on my writer’s instagram more consistently. So please do follow! @michelleleighwritesvibes(I shared a lot of good stuff this past year! Check it out!)
As 2021 comes to a close I wanted to just review some of the creative projects I shared. I love to do this little reflection of my work before every new year. This way I can set intentions for the next year. MichelleLeighWrites is my blog baby. I don’t post that often but when I do, it is the host of my long form storytelling. A safe place for the written word. Here are some of my writer vibes this past year. 1.Vibe With Me Podcast– a YouTube playlist/podcast chit chat of 12 lessons I learned in 2020.
8. Journaled the entire month of June with guided prompts. Tnx @allthingskoze
Also keeping up my Journaling every day habit…on journal #7 now! 9. Did some work on my Novel. 🔥❤ Sadie and Luke’s love story will hopefully see more light in 2022!
Making time to write isn’t always easy. I haven’t always been the best at it. Especially as of late with a new job and the craziness of the holiday season. However, I am proud of the things I did get to create. My hope for the new year is to further embrace the writer in me, the artist in me. And I hope that if you feel inclined to come along and read or listen to something here on MLW that you can relate to it. This is my heart. Happy New Year, my friends! Cheers to a new year of new projects. Some already in the works, and some probably not even thought up yet. 2022…let’s do this! Stay safe out there everyone! 🙂
I forgot that you existed, she said to the man after one long cruel summer.
It isn’t love, it isn’t hate, it’s just indifference.
Boys will be boys, where are the wise men? A constant thought.
Baby-doll, when it comes to a lover- you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes.
Soon, you’ll get better.
It’s a story. A love story.
Cinematic.
We were Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince with a death by a thousand cuts.
It’s not as tragic as it sounds, I’m older now. And you’re not my baby.
Walking along Cornelia Street, I found myself a London Boy.
He got that boyish look that I like in a man. Lyrical Smile. Daylight in his indigo eyes.
You may be from London, boy, but I’m New York City, I still do it for you babe.
My heart’s been broken, yours has been blue. Let me travel the world with you.
I’ve been the archer, I’ve been the prey, I’m so sick of running as fast as I can, wondering if I’d get there quicker if I was the man.
How hard is it to find your forever Lover. Hiding undercovers, in the winter I’ll be your Summer.
I don’t wanna look at anything else now that I saw you. Paper things, I think.
I like shiny, fancy things, but I’d marry this man with paper rings. Cuz cruelty only wins in the movies.
ACTION!
Lost in a film scene.
CUT.
Help me hold onto you.
Bring me back into reality.
I feel my heart beat, skipping down 16th Avenue. Thinking, Bless my soul. Would we still worship this love, even if it’s a false god? I think he knows.
STOP, think to myself- You need to calm down. Is this real? Or are we just friends?
It’s nice to have a friend, I guess.
But you’ll never get just what you see, I promise that you’ll never find another like me!
Fighting with a true love, is like boxing with no gloves. I don’t wanna lose this with you.
Meet me in the afterglow. ❤
See what I did there?
How many Taylor Swift lyrics/song titles did you spot?
*I do not take credit for Taylor’s music, lyrics, or her cover art used.*
I can’t believe we’re already in April. Needless to say I came across a rather interesting challenge. And I decided it was time to dive into a new writing experience.
Youtuber and Writer/Author Savannah Brown started the trend- ESCAPRIL. “Escaping into poetry in April.” Which is basically writing and posting a poem everyday in April through some sort of social network site. I thought this was such a cool idea.
So I caught on, on April 2nd and knew it wasn’t too late to join in. Making up the day I lost and continuing the journey throughout this past week. I even got my sister in law to join me. So it’s cool to have a buddy to trade poems with. And to see how we both interpret the prompts given.
Here are the rules and the prompts provided to guide you…
You can find more details on their letsescapril instagram
I’ve been pretty consistent which makes me proud of myself. I realized if I can do BLOGMAS (posting every day in December), BLOGTOBER (posting every day in October), and most recently the NaNoWriMo challenge (writing 50,000 words in the month of November,) than I know I can do a poem a day!
I’m enjoying it, it’s a sense of community, as other people you don’t even know get to see your work on social sites. But I will say I don’t think my poem muscle has been used in a while, so my poems aren’t the best. But I’m working on it, and I know it’s not always about quality or quantity when it comes to writing. Sometimes it’s just about getting something down on the page, and creating an everyday writing habit.
I chose to use my blog instagram account to share my work. So please follow michelleleighwrites_blog (michelleleighwrites_blog) for my daily #ESCAPRIL posts. I will probably do an update on this at some point. So STAY TUNED!
Also I didn’t know that April is actually National Poetry Month, so hey…it all just works!
Happy Reading!
And good luck all my fellow #ESCAPRIL participants!
*I do not take credit for any images/videos used.*
As I scroll through Instagram recently within the past few months, I’ve come across a few creative posts that really resonated with me. And the message behind them was so powerful, I thought I’d share.
The first one was posted on a writers instagram I follow- writers.are.day.dreamers but it was reposted from nightypoetry. This poem is so spot on, to how I feel at times. If I’m really excited about something, I get super animated in my storytelling. I talk fast, I ramble, I’m loud, I talk with my hands. If I’m really frustrated or upset, I will also be loud, and maybe my facial expressions may be very obvious. I’ve been told I’m “taking things too seriously,” I’m “too sensitive,” I’m “over-reacting.” If someone reacts negatively to you, maybe it’s YOU. That is a very possible situation. You can’t always blame the person who reacts, they are usually reacting to someone you did or said.
Don’t get me wrong, I understand everyone is human, and we aren’t perfect. Sometimes people can just be dealing with a lot, or just having a bad day and they can snap at you for no real reason, other than you happening to be in the line of fire at that time. But often it takes two to get in a tiff. So next time someone claps back at you, think about what you may have done to receive that reaction. You have to own when you’re wrong people. Don’t play the blame game. I know it’s hard, trust me, I hate it, I hate confrontation. I’ve had moments where I really screwed up and felt terrible and had to talk to the person and apologize because I knew it was my fault. It’s awkward and uncomfortable. But in order to keep healthy relationships in your life you need to know how to admit when you’re wrong. And just try better next time.
However, with this specific poem, I just feel it so much. Again, with that Too Much feeling. I’m a writer, I’m someone struggles with anxiety and constant over thinking and feeling is part of all of that. Feeling so deeply, that sometimes that weight gets incredibly difficult to bare.
We walk through life trying to be the best versions of ourselves, and no matter what we do, or how we try, sometimes it just feels like we are too much of everything. That we don’t belong. That people don’t get us. That we have to conform or change to fit other people’s standards. Can’t we just be ourselves? Those who really love us will love us no matter what. I love the last two lines- “Let me be too much. It’s too awesome.” It leaves you with hope and the idea to believe in yourself and everything you are.
This next poem, was shared by 7th Heaven actress Beverly Mitchell on instagram. However, the author is Hollie Holden. The poem is a story about a woman’s relationship and conversation with her own physical body. It touches upon how we stress what we eat, what we do, if we do enough, if we need to improve ourselves. How we look, if our stomachs are flat enough. And it’s constant. She captures how sometimes we as women just do not feel right in our own skin. These feelings are common amongst many, but that doesn’t mean this way of thinking is healthy. In her last line in this poem about a woman asking her body what it needs- Holden writes- Can you just love me like this? And that in itself is an incredible realization. Why can’t we just love ourselves for what we look like, who we are, what we are. Why are we always pressured to change or adapt, or fit society’s standards of beauty. Listen to your body. Love your body. That is what she needs.
Lastly, this next post is from Lena Dunham. Dunham has always been this trail blazer of sorts. She is well known for creating, directing and starring in her hit HBO series- GIRLS. The show premiered in 2012 and ran for 6 seasons. The story followed four girls in their twenties, trying to navigate life in New York City. Sounds very familiar, yes it’s been done before #SexInTheCity, but Dunham’s version always pushed the boundaries even more.
She recently posted a photo of herself on instagram with a caption [Below]. And I really loved what she had to say. It resembles that same idea of feeling “Too much.” How she comes to this realization that she isn’t for everyone, and she doesn’t have to be. And that everyone is not for her. For the right people, too much is just enough. Her too much can meet other people’s sense of too much and all can be right with the world. She further goes on to say that she weighs the heaviest she ever has, but that she is the happiest she’s ever been. Showing that the feeling of beauty does not only have one physical look/one mentality. Instead of thinking we are too much, let’s say we are just enough.
DISCLAIMER: I do not take credit for the written words used in the screenshots/ Instagram posts. All thoughts belong to their rightful owners. And I do not take credit for the Lena Dunham photo.
I hope that this post can resonate with you. I know all these things I shared really hit home for me. I know what it’s like to question yourself constantly, and worry how you look or how you come off to others. And I’m just getting so tired of it. I am who I am. I’m a kind person, but I’m not perfect. I have moments where my enthusiasm or my reactions may be TOO MUCH for you. If you don’t like it, that’s ok. We don’t have to be best friends. Life is full of people you are going to have to deal with, that you may not like or may not see eye to eye with. You may not get along with everyone. Just be yourself and love the skin you’re in. It’s not easy. I know. Society has taught us that by engraining standards into our brains. But fuck them, there is only one you. Own it, because no one else, ever can. 😉
I wonder if you spend your days looking, searching, waiting, praying for us to meet.
For me to trust you with all my dreams.
To have someone always on your side to battle your doubts.
To cuddle on the couch with a glass of beer or wine.
Do you get glimpses of our future?
How many kids we have?
If we live in a big house?
City or country?
Writing our love story in your mind.
Proposal story and our wedding day.
Sometimes it’s so much to bare, isn’t it?
This unknown person you promise to spend your life with.
“I love you and I haven’t even met you yet.”
Have you ever thought that?
So much love to give.
We worry.
Time lines ahead of us.
Clocks ticking.
Loudly at times.
Birthdays coming in like a Warning Sign.
Friends?
Married.
Kids.
And you feel like your failing.
Sometimes that “happy ending” feels so far away.
Like it’ll never happen.
And in that moment, I hope you feel me right there next to you.
Even if I’m miles and miles away,
or not far at all.
Either way, two souls.
Time will come.
And we’ll one day call each other home.
See you soon, love.
From the Faceless Woman, to the Faceless Man.
*I do not take credit for the image used.*
Fun Fact:Just as I finished writing this poem, Justin Timberlake’s song “Soulmate”came on my “Magic” titled Spotify playlist. Hmmm? Universe, I see you. 😉
I blogged for the entire month of November. I started off strong. I usually do, and I had some blogs lined up and ready to go. But as the month went on it did become more difficult to post regularly. However, I made it work, just like I did for BLOGMAS!
Having done that last year definitely made me more sure of myself going into this year’s month long blog adventure.
BLOGTOBER
Sure, there were a few times that I lacked the inspiration, and some posts were fillers. Sometimes I had to search for prompts online to help stir up an idea. It happens to the best of us. Sure, there were times that I was rushing to post something before midnight. I didn’t always get my social media posts up on time either, but they did go up regardless. But each blog post went up on time! All 31 of them. And I am super proud. I also was consistent in posting to my blog social accounts, which is always grueling, but I had a bit of a system and made it work.
For the most part this challenge made me stronger. It made me create a bit of a writing routine, it made me more in touch with needing to make time for my writing and learning to be sure to make it a priority. It’s definitely a balancing act, but I am working on it.
There were various times I was visiting family and had to excuse myself to get a post up, or I had something going on and had to jot down a post on my phone notes for later. It was crazy. But I did it. I knew I wanted to, and that I would make it to my 31 day mark. I had much more faith and certainty in myself this time, than I did last year during BLOGMAS.
So with that being said, I am onto my next writing venture- NaNoWriMo [See: BLOGTOBER DAY 31] I definitely believe I have more confidence in taking on this journey because I just gained all this writing motivation and routine building from BLOGTOBER. Day 1 was actually really good! Stay Tuned for updates on that.
See you Monday- MLW has now returned to it’s regular Monday/Thursday schedule.
And if you missed any of BLOGTOBER…check out the recap below!
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Michelle Leigh Writes 